Enhancing cracking resistance in semi-flexible pavements using an interfacial immersion method

Bibliographic Details
Title: Enhancing cracking resistance in semi-flexible pavements using an interfacial immersion method
Authors: Xiaoyu Liu, Kuanghuai Wu, Giovanni Giacomello, Yunpeng Yue, Fengming Ren, Xu Cai, Marco Pasetto
Source: Case Studies in Construction Materials, Vol 22, Iss , Pp e04311- (2025)
Publisher Information: Elsevier, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Collection: LCC:Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
Subject Terms: Semi-flexible Pavement (SFP), Cracking resistance, Interfacial modifier, Dynamic modulus test, Fatigue test, Silane coupling agent, Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, TA401-492
More Details: Semi-flexible pavement (SFP) is a composite structure that combines an asphalt mixture skeleton with cementitious grout, providing excellent load-bearing capacity and rutting resistance. However, cracking is a primary failure mode in SFP, due to the numerous asphalt-grout interfaces within SFP. To enhance the cracking resistance of SFP, an interfacial immersion method is proposed to immerse the porous asphalt mixture (PAM) specimens using a silane coupling agent (SCA) in this paper. Compared to traditional methods. this method directly improves the crack resistance of SFP by strengthening the interface. Three strengths of grout materials were applied to investigate the cracking resistance of SFP through the dynamic modulus and four-point bending fatigue tests after the interface modification. Experimental results indicate that the proposed interfacial immersion method can improve the stiffness performance of SFP, with specimens treated with an interface modifier showing a higher dynamic modulus. Temperature changes significantly affect the stiffness of the SFP when below 20°C, whereas frequency changes have a lesser impact on stiffness especially at low frequencies. Compared to SFP specimens made with high-strength grout materials, those formed with low-strength grout materials showed a superior fatigue life after interfacial modification. The proposed immersion method increased the cracking resistance parameters of SFP by 4.7 % and 11.5 % for GM-40 and GM-60 grouts, respectively, while reducing it by 38 % for GM-70 grout. The fatigue life of the SFP material formed by the GM-40, GM-60, and GM-70 grout material increased by 251.1 %, 18.5 %, and 10.9 % after the interface was enhanced, respectively. It indicates that the crack resistance of SFP formed with low-strength grout materials is significantly enhanced after interface modification using the proposed method. The results will enhance the cracking resistance and durability of SFP, providing support for SFP design.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2214-5095
Relation: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525001093; https://doaj.org/toc/2214-5095
DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2025.e04311
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/95314e2bc1f84474a0400446e48f9bdb
Accession Number: edsdoj.95314e2bc1f84474a0400446e48f9bdb
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:22145095
DOI:10.1016/j.cscm.2025.e04311
Published in:Case Studies in Construction Materials
Language:English